SXSWNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94SXSWThu, 27 Apr 2017 05:06:16 +0000SXSWhttp://tpr.org
Nathan ConeThe stranger that rides into town is a movie trope that’s well-worn, but with “ La Barracuda ,” filmmakers Julia Halperin and Jason Cortlund use suspense, unease, original music, and a Texas setting to bring a fresh new take on the genre. The movie premiered at this year’s South By Southwest Film Festival and screens this Saturday out of competition at the Hill Country Film Festival in Fredericksburg. The movie opens on Sinaloa (newcomer Sophie Reid), hopping off the train in Austin, and onto the doorstep of Merle (Alison Tolman, TV’s “Fargo”). She introduces herself to Merle as her half-sister by way of their dead country musician father. Cortlund says he and Halperin crafted the story by thinking about how to “withhold information in the right kind of way to pull the audience closer to you.” Sinaloa, after all, hits all the right marks when bringing up her shared past with Merle, despite neither woman having ever met. Tension builds as Sinaloa winds her way into Merle’s life. What’sTexas-Set Thriller 'La Barracuda' Uses Music To Bring Sisters Together, Drive Family Aparthttp://tpr.org/post/texas-set-thriller-la-barracuda-uses-music-bring-sisters-together-drive-family-apart
85972 as http://tpr.orgTue, 25 Apr 2017 21:24:20 +0000Texas-Set Thriller 'La Barracuda' Uses Music To Bring Sisters Together, Drive Family ApartFelix ContrerasEditor's note: This is one of three segments in this week's episode of Alt.Latino. Listen to the full show. Two years ago I got a crowdsourcing email from two guys making a movie about, of all things, the rich musical history of south Texas. I was expecting lots of accordions and cowboy hats, but As I Walk Through The Valley is instead an insightful examination of 1960s garage rockers, a decades-long commitment to DIY performance spaces and Tejano punks wearing lucha libre masks. I sat through the film mesmerized by the story, which was new to me — but also by some aspects that were familiar. I didn't know any of the bands or musicians, but I did recognize the desire to create music no matter what; the drive to express yourself and tell the world "I exist" when so many things and people tell you that you don't; and the loving dedication of family and friends who make the local bowling alley feel like the main stage at Coachella. Filmmakers Ronnie Garza and Charlie Vela, who live in the'As I Walk Through The Valley' Captures South Texas' Vibrant Music Scenehttp://tpr.org/post/i-walk-through-valley-captures-south-texas-vibrant-music-scene
84732 as http://tpr.orgThu, 30 Mar 2017 13:58:21 +0000'As I Walk Through The Valley' Captures South Texas' Vibrant Music SceneFelix Contrerashttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUlRbFOOaGs Things are coming to a boil. If you listen closely, you can hear the chatter on the streets, in coffee shops or in meetings: Musicians are raising their voices to protest again. I heard it when I was a teen during the Vietnam War, when musicians wore their passions on their sleeves in speaking out against an unpopular war. I've heard it at various times since then, coming largely from Latin America. But now a new generation of artists is finding an audience for music with a message. And that kind of music was on full display at this year's SXSW. In fact, it was highlighted at a large, free outdoor concert on the Thursday night of the international music festival, a showcase labeled a night of resistance . But it wasn't limited to that night. Throughout the week — in clubs, in auditoriums and on street corners — audiences were communing with bands to protest any number of social or political forces rearing up across the country. This week weLatin Musicians Bring A Message Of Resistance To SXSWhttp://tpr.org/post/latin-musicians-bring-message-resistance-sxsw
84387 as http://tpr.orgThu, 23 Mar 2017 18:35:41 +0000Latin Musicians Bring A Message Of Resistance To SXSWMallory YuMusicians from all over the world are settling back at home, recovering from last week's South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. Hundreds of musicians played throughout the week, for crowds big and small. One of this year's showcases was the first in the festival's history to feature a lineup made up entirely of Asian-American artists. The event took place on a warm Thursday night in the upstairs lounge of a barbecue restaurant in downtown Austin. It was hosted by the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization Kollaboration, which supports Asian-American creatives. Singer-songwriter Melissa Polinar stands on a small raised stage at midnight, playing her acoustic guitar for a small group of people. Toward the end of her set, she pauses between songs to talk a little bit about her struggles breaking into the music industry. "They were a little confused with what to do with me, in terms of the industry," she says from the stage. "There's this guy who came up to me after my firstAt SXSW, Asian-American Musicians Make A Space Of Their Ownhttp://tpr.org/post/sxsw-asian-american-musicians-make-space-their-own
84352 as http://tpr.orgWed, 22 Mar 2017 22:17:41 +0000At SXSW, Asian-American Musicians Make A Space Of Their OwnMichel MartinCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: People keep telling us that the best way to experience South by Southwest is to leave room for the unexpected. So here was something that was definitely unexpected. For the first time in the conference's 30-year history, the Vatican sent a representative. Bishop Paul Tighe was a speaker in one of the technology panels. His formal title is adjunct secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture. But he has been referred to as the Vatican's social media guru. And Bishop Paul Tighe is now back in Rome, but we called him there to tell us more. Bishop, welcome. Thank you so much for speaking with us. PAUL TIGHE: I'm very happy to be here. You know, I'm always anxious to distance myself from that social media guru title (laughter). MARTIN: You'll give us an indulgence on this one, right? TIGHE: OK. MARTIN: OK. So we should remind people that the pope has more than 10 million followers on Twitter. He also has an Instagram account.The Vatican Sends Its Social Media Guru To SXSW Festivalhttp://tpr.org/post/vatican-sends-its-social-media-guru-sxsw-festival
84172 as http://tpr.orgSun, 19 Mar 2017 22:03:00 +0000The Vatican Sends Its Social Media Guru To SXSW FestivalMichel MartinCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: One thing we didn't expect to see here at South by Southwest were the virtual reality helmets. They were everywhere. KATIE SEALICK: You're a dinosaur, and you're protecting your village from cavemen. And the faster you move, the faster you get to reload your ammo. MARTIN: That's Katie Sealick from the company Blue Goji. They use VR games on fitness equipment to make working out a little more fun. A few booths down at the convention center, NASA was sending people on space missions. Edward Kim took a trip. EDWARD KIM: It was kind of my dream to be an astronaut. It felt like I was right there, right next to the spaceship. MARTIN: We wanted to know what the virtual reality hype was all about, so we called Todd Richmond. He's the director of advanced prototypes at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies. He spoke on a panel at South by Southwest on the promise and the dangers of VR. And I startedTake A Peek Under The Helmet Of Virtual Reality At SXSWhttp://tpr.org/post/take-peek-under-helmet-virtual-reality-sxsw
84173 as http://tpr.orgSun, 19 Mar 2017 22:03:00 +0000Take A Peek Under The Helmet Of Virtual Reality At SXSWeditorThe South by Southwest music festival is well-established as a venue where up-and-coming artists get discovered. But it also offers a chance to hear from the music industry's icons — like veteran country star Garth Brooks , who delivered a keynote address at the Austin Convention Center during SXSW this week. Brooks kicked off his career in the 1980s, and he's still breaking records and selling out shows. Over the years, he's solidified himself as one of the best-selling solo artists of all time. Most recently, he's been traveling throughout North America on a three-year tour with his wife, fellow country singer Trisha Yearwood. NPR's Michel Martin caught up with Brooks at SXSW to discuss changes in the industry, the ways listeners connect with certain songs and the relationship between music and political polarization. Hear their conversation at the audio link, and read on for an edited transcript. Michel Martin: This festival focuses on music, technology and film, and it often talksAt SXSW, Garth Brooks Sees The Constants In A Changing Industryhttp://tpr.org/post/sxsw-garth-brooks-sees-constants-changing-industry
84176 as http://tpr.orgSun, 19 Mar 2017 22:01:00 +0000At SXSW, Garth Brooks Sees The Constants In A Changing IndustryeditorTameca Jones has become known as the "Queen of Austin Soul." She got her start more than a decade ago, when she decided to forgo her dream of going to law school in order to focus on raising her twins. At that point, music became both her creative outlet and a way to support her family — and since then, her soulful covers of rock songs have made her a beloved fixture of the music scene in Austin, Texas. Jones says that, while she feels she's been welcomed into the city's musical community, establishing herself as a soul singer hasn't always been easy. "Austin is not known for soul music — that's more like Dallas and Houston. Austin is more like that rockabilly, bluegrass, Stevie Ray Vaughan blues," she says. "So I stayed underground a long time, just grinding and grinding and grinding." Jones took a break from the bustle of the South by Southwest music festival to speak with NPR's Michel Martin and share two songs. Hear more of their conversation at the audio link, and watch JonesAt SXSW, A Moment With The 'Queen Of Austin Soul'http://tpr.org/post/sxsw-moment-queen-austin-soul
84156 as http://tpr.orgSun, 19 Mar 2017 04:18:40 +0000At SXSW, A Moment With The 'Queen Of Austin Soul'editorCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: I'm Michel Martin coming to you from Austin, Texas. And now it's time for the Barbershop. But because we're in Austin, we were thinking about calling it the Barbecue Shop. I'm sorry. That was terrible. I apologize. Everybody here is like no. So all right. Either way, this is where we invite an interesting group of people to talk about what's in the news and what's on their minds. So we decided to call upon our colleagues here in Austin for their take on the news of the week. Ben Philpott is a senior editor at member station KUT here in Austin. He covers politics among other things. Nancy Flores covers music and Latino culture at Austin 360 and the Austin American-Statesman. Omar Gallaga covers tech for the Austin American-Statesman. You might remember his All Tech Considered segments for NPR. And last, but certainly, not least Daisy Wang. She's a freshman at the University of Texas here in Austin. She's been covering South byThe South By Southwest Effect: How The Festival Affects Austinhttp://tpr.org/post/south-southwest-effect-how-festival-affects-austin
84151 as http://tpr.orgSat, 18 Mar 2017 21:39:00 +0000The South By Southwest Effect: How The Festival Affects AustinNathan ConeTwo teen girls ditch their prom for a decidedly more psychedelic and life-changing experience in “The Honor Farm,” a midnight feature at this year’s South By Southwest Film Festival that uses the techniques of horror films to tell its story about a rite of passage from a female perspective. Olivia Applegate plays Lucy, who finds herself on a vision quest to a derelict prison farm at night with a group of mushroom-gobbling friends. There’s danger, trepidation, and transformation... everything that comes with your first time. Austinite Karen Skloss wrote and directed the film. For over a decade, she’s been working as an editor on documentaries about everything from songwriter Townes Van Zandt to auto racing, to Pink Floyd’s album art. In 2009, she premiered “ Sunshine ” at SXSW, which was a documentary about her own family life. Her daughter, a central character of that film, is now 17, and took a co-writing credit on “The Honor Farm.” I spoke to Karen Skloss after the film’s premiere.It's A Long Way From Prom To 'The Honor Farm'http://tpr.org/post/its-long-way-prom-honor-farm
84131 as http://tpr.orgSat, 18 Mar 2017 05:38:21 +0000It's A Long Way From Prom To 'The Honor Farm'Nathan ConeA San Antonio native won one of the top prizes at this year’s South By Southwest Film Festival . Noël Wells, known for her work on "Saturday Night Live" and Netflix's "Master of None," premiered her debut as a director, " Mr. Roosevelt ." The film is a comedic love letter to Austin, and won the Louis Black Lone Star Award at the festival on Tuesday night. Wells spent her elementary school years in San Antonio, but starting in middle school, she moved to Victoria, where life was... okay. “I remember when I was growing up, everybody would be like--because I think they knew how hard I was having it--they were like, 'don’t worry, one day you can go to Austin !' They had already planned it for me.” Wells went to the University of Texas, and found later success on "Saturday Night Live" and the Netflix series " Master of None ." Her debut feature as a director, “Mr. Roosevelt,” is about a young woman in her twenties, maybe a little bit like Wells, returning to Austin--and her ex—upon theSan Antonio Native Noël Wells Wins 'Lone Star' Award At SXSWhttp://tpr.org/post/san-antonio-native-no-l-wells-wins-lone-star-award-sxsw
84008 as http://tpr.orgThu, 16 Mar 2017 03:54:34 +0000San Antonio Native Noël Wells Wins 'Lone Star' Award At SXSWeditorSXSW Tests Austin's Fledgling Ride-Hailing Companieshttp://tpr.org/post/sxsw-tests-austins-fledgling-ride-hailing-companies
83982 as http://tpr.orgWed, 15 Mar 2017 18:15:52 +0000SXSW Tests Austin's Fledgling Ride-Hailing CompaniesNathan ConeFor the second year in a row, San Antonio is putting its best foot forward at Austin’s South By Southwest Festival, and according to Choose San Antonio ’s Executive Director Meghan Garza-Oswald they’ve been successful at that. The non-profit's goal is to introduce the city to a broader audience so that it'll be seen as a viable place for outsiders to live, work, and play. “We really took the messages from last year and tried to formulate a really strategic response,” she says. That meant everything from moving out of a 6 th Street bar to a cozier venue near the convention center to concentrating on showcasing San Antonio through its music, culinary arts, and film. “We had more people show up on Friday, March 10, than we had all weekend last year!” Garza-Oswald enthused. “It’s been a huge change. Twenty-one hundred to 2,500 on Friday alone.” CJ Craig, a board member of Choose San Antonio, added a lot of international people stopped by the booth this year, both in the convention centerSan Antonio Showcases Itself At A Cozier New Locale For SXSWhttp://tpr.org/post/san-antonio-showcases-itself-cozier-new-locale-sxsw
83903 as http://tpr.orgTue, 14 Mar 2017 17:11:25 +0000San Antonio Showcases Itself At A Cozier New Locale For SXSWAnastasia Tsioulcas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g826StJhLk This story was updated on March 14 at 4:35 PM. Three more bands have announced that they would not be performing at this year's South by Southwest [SXSW] music festival because their members have been prevented from entering the United States. On Monday afternoon, the label Brownswood Recordings, founded by DJ, producer and broadcaster Gilles Peterson, announced that the drummer Yussef Dayes — who performs in two bands, the London-based duo Yussef Kamaal , which is signed to Brownswood, and United Vibrations alongside his brothers Ahmed and Kareem — had his "visa revoked at the 11th hour." The label added that Yussef Kamaal believes this decision "to be discrimination based on religion and race." According to a statement from Brownswood, all three Dayes brothers, originally scheduled to travel to the U.S. on Tuesday, have had their status under the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA) revoked. United Vibrations also released its own statement on MondayThree More SXSW-Bound Bands Denied Entry Into The U.S.http://tpr.org/post/three-more-sxsw-bound-bands-denied-entry-us
83901 as http://tpr.orgTue, 14 Mar 2017 00:58:08 +0000Three More SXSW-Bound Bands Denied Entry Into The U.S.Nathan ConeTo get to San Antonio's Northeast School of the Arts Cinema Lab, you first walk into the imposingly-sized Lee High School (which feels like it’s tripled its size since NESA opened in 1997), then head underground and down a long hallway. A nondescript door opens onto a semi-darkened room where a dozen or so students are studying the latest “Alien” movie trailer on one wall of the classroom. Others are hunched over computers, editing their latest short cinematic gems, made with little to no budget, but a lot of hard work and cooperation. Students from NESA are no stranger to Austin’s annual South By Southwest Film Festival, and this year, Pierson Hawkins, a senior, has a film in the festival. " Limbo " is a wordless exploration of the theme of “insanity through isolation,” he says, about a man stuck in a purgatory-like state that happens to look just like the office building he once worked in. For a “student production,” I remarked to Hawkins, it has astonishingly high production values.High School Student's Experimental Short Lands Spot At SXSWhttp://tpr.org/post/high-school-students-experimental-short-lands-spot-sxsw
83761 as http://tpr.orgSat, 11 Mar 2017 04:48:33 +0000High School Student's Experimental Short Lands Spot At SXSWNathan ConeOver 16 years at San Antonio's Northeast School of the Arts (NESA), Konise Millender has seen and shepherded hundreds of films to production. She's the head of the Department of Cinema at the magnet school based on the Lee High School campus. This year, one of the seniors in the program, Pierson Hawkins, has a short film in the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin. I took the opportunity to finally visit the cinema lab at NESA to learn more about the program, where I spoke to Millender. Nathan Cone: What has changed over the course of those 16 years in terms of what you’ve been able to do with the students that come through this program? Konise Millender: I would say it’s gotten more intense. We spent a lot of time in the early years just teaching kids basics, but technology is everywhere now. So a lot of them are coming in at far different levels than they did before. Before, none of them have probably ever touched a camera. But now you have kids growing up with technology,'Never The Same Film,' Says 16-Year Veteran Of High School Cinema Programhttp://tpr.org/post/never-same-film-says-16-year-veteran-high-school-cinema-program
83762 as http://tpr.orgSat, 11 Mar 2017 04:35:15 +0000'Never The Same Film,' Says 16-Year Veteran Of High School Cinema ProgramAnastasia Tsioulcas Last week, a fierce battle was pitched between the Austin, Texas-based music mega-festival South by Southwest (SXSW) and artists who took exception to a certain passage in the agreements which SXSW sends to its performers. Some musicians and fans, including a group of over 80 artists and record labels who signed an open letter against SXSW, objected to what they interpreted as an overt threat by the festival's management to report international artists to immigration authorities if those artists performed outside of their official SXSW showcases, or otherwise violated their agreements with the festival. This year's edition begins this Friday. Today, SXSW released a statement , which included both an apology and a promise to change that contract language to assuage those concerns. The festival organizers, including SXSW CEO and co-founder Roland Swenson had maintained in interviews, including with NPR, that they were only reminding artists of what might happen if they breached the termsAfter Public Battle, SXSW Apologizes And Pledges To Change Its Artist Contracthttp://tpr.org/post/after-public-battle-sxsw-apologizes-and-pledges-change-its-artist-contract
83622 as http://tpr.orgWed, 08 Mar 2017 05:09:59 +0000After Public Battle, SXSW Apologizes And Pledges To Change Its Artist ContractStephen ThompsonThe annual South By Southwest music festival kicks off March 13, bringing with it more than 2,000 artists performing at dozens of clubs across Austin, Texas. Winnowing all that music down to a digestible list of recommendations is a months-long endeavor, but now NPR Music has launched its annual Austin 100 — a downloadable 100-song playlist highlighting some of the festival's most exciting discoveries. In this conversation with NPR's Michel Martin, that list gets whittled down to an even-leaner five: Tribu Baharú , a relentlessly joyful Colombian band; Jealous Of The Birds , an Irish singer who layers her voice beautifully; Manu Delago , a Bjork collaborator whose haunting songs are built around a drum called the Hang; Tunde Olaniran , a Michigan singer and rapper who practically bursts with ideas; and Weaves , a zingy and inventive rock group led by commanding singer Jasmyn Burke. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: And now it's time for our regular segmentTo Austin, With Love: Previewing The Songs Of SXSWhttp://tpr.org/post/austin-love-previewing-songs-sxsw
83519 as http://tpr.orgMon, 06 Mar 2017 02:25:32 +0000To Austin, With Love: Previewing The Songs Of SXSWSteve ShortA San Antonio promotional campaign at South By Southwest in Austin last month is being called a success. “ Choose San Antonio ” Executive Director Meghan Garza-Oswald gave a report to Bexar County Commissioners on Tuesday. They were championing the lifestyle of San Antonio and spent approximately $350,000, most of that from private funds. Bexar County contributed $15,000. Of the 80,000 people who attended the trade show at the convention center, 50,000 saw their booth. “We engaged with over 28 foreign countries, 34 different U.S. states, and 60 different cities,” said Garza-Oswald. "Choose San Antonio" is working to bring more visitors and businesses to the city. They also had a store front called Casa San Antonio on Sixth Street in Austin for their ambassadors to interact with more people. “We had 3,200 unique visitors, which meant that was 3,200 individuals who came to either listen to a panel, engage in a startup conversation, engage in a mixer, networking, or something of thatNonprofit Reports Spending $350,000 For Outreach At SXSW http://tpr.org/post/nonprofit-reports-spending-350000-outreach-sxsw
68423 as http://tpr.orgTue, 19 Apr 2016 21:47:31 +0000Nonprofit Reports Spending $350,000 For Outreach At SXSW Felix Contrerashttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic_HUgXIuD0 This year's SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas, featured more Latin bands than ever. The third year of the festival-within-a-festival dubbed SXAméricas provided an embarrassment of riches. Every night offered several showcases to choose from, while in the recent past it was pretty easy to catch up with most if not all of the Latin bands invited to perform. I did the best I could in picking and choosing from among more than 200 artists, trying to focus on the ones I'd never heard live before. There were many I'd never even heard , so it was often difficult to choose between one venue and another. With that caveat, here are just a few of the artists who caught my attention. Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.SXAméricas 2016: An Embarrassment Of Richeshttp://tpr.org/post/sxam-ricas-2016-embarrassment-riches
67092 as http://tpr.orgThu, 24 Mar 2016 18:35:40 +0000SXAméricas 2016: An Embarrassment Of Riches